Radical Islamism and Jihad (18 Feb 2017 NewAgeIslam.Com)

Why ISIS Feels So Threatened By Sindh's Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Shrine

By
Haroon Khalid

18 February 2017

The Dhamal is an oxymoron. It annihilates,
putting an end to the subjective identity of a person. In the act of Dhamal a
person ceases to exist, and merges with the supreme. And that is where it is
becomes an oxymoron. It is the ultimate form of existence, supreme,
metaphysical, a merging of all.

Ultimately culminating into whirls, it
aligns with the whirling of the cosmos, its orbital movements. It is the ultimate
expression of monotheism, a closely guarded tenet in Abrahamic faiths. In fact
it goes one step further, even breaking the barrier between a devotee and the
divine. Both become one, as monotheism merges into monism.

While the ultimate culmination of Dhamal
aligns with the cosmic patterns, its individual steps follow no pattern at all.
It could begin as a gentle dance, a flirtatious duel with the beat of the drum.
It teases, consents to a union and then shyly backs away. The Dholwala plays
along. The contest is for everyone to see and partake. The lovers finally
merge, initially softly, tenderly, and then passionately, wildly. It has
uncontrollable energy, a force which through its movements can halt the
movement of the cosmos. Like the Tandava of Shiva and the ecstatic dance of
Kali, if uninterrupted it can lead to destruction. Yet on the other hand, like
Vishnu, the preserver, through its alignment with the cosmos it holds the world
in its place.

At the courtyard of a Sufi shrine, when
Dhamal becomes one with the beat of the drum, gender too ceases to exist. In a
deeply segregated society, where sexuality is closely monitored, it flows
easily, in the form of spiritual energy. Men, women, ceasing to exist, whirl in
unison. Otherwise discriminated and treated as untouchables, Khawaja Sara, who
travel from all parts of the country to the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar,
particularly at the time of his Urs, perform the Dhamal with the other
devotees, laying bare all their tales of injustices on the courtyard, which
irrespective of their gender, age, sexual orientation, caste and religion,
soaks everything, and gives them a new life. The Dhamal is a rite of passage.

A
Temporary Stop

It is a central feature of religious
devotion at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Just as the world never stops
to rest, similarly Dhamal never stops at the shrine of the patron saint of
Sindh. However on the night of February 16, on Thursday, a holy night in
Islamic spirituality, it stopped temporarily. Hundreds of devotees had gathered
at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar to experience this spiritual performance
– Dhamal. Like on any other night, it must have been a collection of men, women
and transgender. The Syeds must have stood next to the Musalis. Hindus and
Muslims must have eaten from the same plates at the Langar. At the middle of
the performance it is believed, a female suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS
blew herself up, killing more than 70 people injuring several more. However
even before the echoes of the screams died down, and the last strains of blood
could be washed off the courtyard, Dhamal began once again on Friday morning.
It was like it had never stopped. The world never stops rotating.

While claiming responsibility for the
attack, ISIS called it a Shia gathering. They couldn’t be more wrong. Religious
devotees at the shrine of this 12th century saint cannot be compartmentalised
into categories through which ISIS sees the world. To his devotees, he is not a
Muslim or a Shia saint. He is a peer, who cannot be constrained by confines of
religious boundaries. To the Sindhi Hindus, forming the largest religious
minority in the country, he is their peer as much as he Peer for Muslims. Some
might label him to be a Sindhi saint, but songs of his praises are sung at the
Sufi shrines in Punjab as well. In the summers at the time of his Urs
celebration special trains are booked to bring his Punjabi devotees into the
heartland of Sindh.

There is perhaps no other shrine in the
country that captures the essence of religious syncretism like the shrine of
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. In his courtyard, it feels as if the riots of Partition
never happened, as if Sindhi Hindus were never forced to abandon their land, as
if Christian settlements in Punjab had never been burned after alleged cases of
blasphemy. The courtyard of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar represents a different world,
a world that once existed but has slowly disappeared outside its confines.
That’s why this courtyard represents such a threat. It defies all narratives,
of exclusive nationalism and religious identities. It maybe just a few thousand
people but a powerful narrative. The attack is not on the shrine but on this
worldview which does not divide humanity into simplistic separate categories.

----

Haroon
Khalid is the author of three books, most recently, Walking with Nanak.

TOTAL COMMENTS:- &nbsp 2

Neither Dhamal nor religious syncretism mean anything to fanatics who would kill
worshippers at a shrine.
Both orthodox Muslims and liberal Muslims have a right to exist and should try
to "know one another" (49.13). Killing in the name of religion is the worst kind
of madness.

By Ghulam Mohiyuddin - 2/18/2017 10:19:08 PM

many facebook posts and twitter feeds also condemn dhamal. not just the ISIS. to keep a balance, they also condemned the blast with "yes-but" syllogism.

there is a vast silent population of muslims who condemn dancing, worship at graves, and music as "unislamic". according to some indian urdu dailies, though the blast was condemnable, dhamal was shirk and hence condemnable.

islam does not tolerate dissent, innovation or enjoyment.

as the ayothollah is supposed to have said - islam is a serious thing and allah did not create human beings to have fun. humans were created so that they could be tested with hardships and prayer.

this opinion is not an outlier. it is quite an average opinion though only attested among trusted friends and believers.

By hats off! - 2/18/2017 4:34:49 AM

Compose Your Comments here:

Name

Email

(Not to be published)

Comments

Fill the text

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the articles and comments are the opinions
of the authors and do not necessarily reflect that of NewAgeIslam.com.